Center for Asian American Studies

Asian American Studies: AAS

Lower-Division Courses

AAS 301. Introduction to Asian American Studies.

Same as American Studies 315 (Topic 1). Introduces the interdisciplinary study of Asian immigrants and Asian Americans in the United States. Explores key concepts, including immigration history, identity and community formation, cultural representation, and the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: American Studies 315 (Topic: Introduction to Asian American Studies), American Studies 315 (Topic 1), Asian American Studies 301, Sociology 308 (Topic: Introduction to Asian American Studies).

AAS 310. Introductory Topics in Asian American Studies.

An introduction to Asian American studies through a variety of disciplines. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Some topics partially fulfill legislative requirement for American history; these are identified in the Course Schedule. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Varies with the topic and is given in the Course Schedule.

Topic 1: Psychological Perspectives on Asian American Identity. Examines the unique culturally-influenced psychologies of various Asian American groups, including such concepts as identity formation, enculturation, assimilation and resistance, and racial and psychological normativity. Only one of the following may be counted: American Studies 315 (Topic: Psychological Perspectives on Asian American Identity), Asian American Studies 310 (Topic: Psychological Perspectives on Asian American Identity), 310 (Topic 1).
Topic 2: Race, Politics, and Identity in Asian America. Same as Government 314 (Topic 7). An introduction to Asian American politics. Subjects include the American political process, and the historic and contemporary role of Asian Americans within that process. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 310 (Topic: Race, Identity, and Politics in Asian America), 310 (Topic 2), Government 314 (Topic: Race, Identity and Politics in Asian America), 314 (Topic 7).
Topic 3: Mixed Race Identities. Same as American Studies 315 (Topic 2). Analyzes the historical and contemporary significance of issues of "race" and "mixing" in a North American context. Subjects include the situation of "mixed race" people throughout United States history; historical policies that have shaped racial formation in the United States; comparative conceptions of "mixed" people transnationally; and racial, ethnic, and cultural identity. Only one of the following may be counted: American Studies 315 (Topic: Mixed Race and the Media), 315 (Topic 2), Asian American Studies 310 (Topic: Mixed Race and the Media), 310 (Topic 3).
Topic 4: Asian American Creative Arts. Issues and identities shaped by issues of race, ethnicity, gender, immigration status, and family dynamics. These subjects are explored through production of literary, artistic, performance, or other creative projects. Only one of the following may be counted: American Studies 315 (Topic: Asian American Theatre and Dance), Asian American Studies 310 (Topic: Asian American Theatre and Dance), 310 (Topic 4), Theatre and Dance 311T (Topic: Asian American Theatre and Dance).
Topic 5: Race, Immigration, and Family. Same as American Studies 315 (Topic 3) and Women's and Gender Studies 301 (Topic 24). Introduction to family systems in the United States in a post-WWII framework with a central focus on Asian Americans. Students will investigate how gender, race, and ethnicity intersect and inform our understanding of the institution of the family. Only one of the following may be counted: American Studies 315 (Topic: Alternative Family Systems), 315 (Topic 3), Asian American Studies 310 (Topic: Alternative Family Systems), 310 (Topic 5), Women's and Gender Studies 301 (Topic: Alternative Family Systems), 301 (Topic 24).

AAS 312. Introduction to Asian American History.

Same as History 317L (Topic 4: Introduction to Asian American History). Introduces students to the national and transnational histories of Asian Americans in the United States. Explores a wide range of themes related to the Asian American experience. Asian American Studies 312 and History 317L (Topic 4) may not both be counted. Partially fulfills legislative requirement for American history.

AAS 314. Asian American Literature and Culture.

Same as English 314V (Topic 2: Asian American Literature and Culture). Explores how authors and artists over the course of the past century have imagined what it means to be Asian American. Covers a diverse range of Asian immigrant histories and the formation of Asian American identities according to ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, and citizenship. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: English 603A, Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 603A.

AAS 318Q. Supervised Research.

For Asian American studies majors only. Supervised, student-derived research in Asian American studies. Individual instruction. May be repeated for credit when the research projects vary. Prerequisite: Rhetoric and Writing 306 and consent of the director of the Center for Asian American Studies.

Upper-Division Courses

AAS 320. Topics in Asian American Culture, Literature, and Media Studies.

Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Varies with the topic and is given in the Course Schedule.

Topic 1: Immigrants, Amusements, and Consumer Culture. Same as American Studies 370 (Topic 25: Immigrants, Amusements, and Consumer Culture). Studies the growth of consumer capitalism as it coincides with the migration and integration of immigrants into American society. Examines the emergence of consumer culture as a force that defines modern American society and traces its developments and current manifestations throughout the world. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Topic 2: Comparative Cultures of Beauty. Same as American Studies 370 (Topic 24: Comparative Cultures of Beauty) and Women's and Gender Studies 345 (Topic 45: Comparative Cultures of Beauty). Examines fashion and beauty as discourses and cultural practices affecting identity, body politics, race, gender, sexuality, and class. Additional prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Topic 3: Contemporary Asian American Novels. Same as English 376M (Topic 5: Contemporary Asian American Novels). Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 320 (Topic 3), English 376M (Topic 5), 379N (Topic: Contemporary Asian American Novels). Prerequisite: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

AAS 325. Topics in Asian American Economics, History, and Government.

Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Some topics partially fulfill legislative requirement for American history; these are identified in the Course Schedule. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Varies with the topic and is given in the Course Schedule.

Topic 2: The Chinese in Diaspora. Same as Asian Studies 361 (Topic 28) and History 350L (Topic 65). Explores narratives of migration, race, ethnicity, and a wide range of experiences of acculturation and assimilation from the perspective of a sending society--China--which has one of the longest and most diverse histories of sending people overseas. Over the last millennia, Chinese have migrated around the world and made homes under a great range of adversity and opportunity, producing many stories of human differences and commonalities. For 361, three lecture hours a week for one semester; for 461, four lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 325 (Topic: Chinese in Diaspora), 325 (Topic 2: The Chinese in Diaspora), Asian Studies 361 (Topic: Chinese in Diaspora), 361, 461 (Topic 28), History 350L (Topic: The Chinese in Diaspora), 350L (Topic 65: The Chinese Diaspora). Additional prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Topic 3: The Chinese in the United States. Same as Asian Studies 340S and History 340S. A lecture and discussion course on the history of the Chinese in the United States from their first arrival in significant numbers during the California Gold Rush of the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 325 (Topic: Chinese in the United States), 325 (Topic 3), Asian Studies 340S, History 340S. Partially fulfills the legislative requirement for American history. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Topic 4: Taiwan: Colonization, Migration, and Identity. Same as Asian Studies 340T and History 340T. Explores issues of ethnicity, empire, and modernization in East Asia from the sixteenth century to the present, as seen through encounters between Taiwan and aborigines, Han Chinese, Dutch, Portuguese, the imperial Qing, Japanese, mainland Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), and the United States. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 325 (Topic 4), Asian Studies 340T, 361 (Topic: Taiwan: Colonization, Migration, and Identity), History 340T, 364G (Topic: Taiwan: Colonization, Migration, and Identity). Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Topic 5: Asian American Jurisprudence. Same as American Studies 321 (Topic 5: Asian American Jurisprudence) and Government 357M (Topic 9: Asian American Jurisprudence). Introduction to the study of Asian Americans and the law. Examines the historical development of United States law and its relationship to Asian Americans, and of Asian American jurisprudence as an independent field of legal scholarship. Additional prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Topic 6: Cuisine and Culture in Asia. Same as Asian Studies 379 (Topic 7). Explores various themes related to food preparation, distribution, and consumption in the shaping of modern Asian societies, including gender; family; politics and nationalism; political economy of food; immigration; diaspora and cuisine; globalization of food brands and fast food outlets; aesthetics; tourism and travel; and how Asian food is represented in media. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 325 (Topic 6); Asian Studies 379 (Topic: Cuisine and Culture in Asia), 379 (Topic 7).
Topic 7: The Two Koreas and the United States. Same as Asian Studies 361 (Topic 24). The political, social, and cultural relationship between North and South Korea, and between the Koreas and the United States, since 1945. Only one of the following may be counted: Anthropology 324L (Topic: The Two Koreas and the US), Asian American Studies 325 (Topic: The Two Koreas and the US), 325 (Topic 7), Asian Studies 361, (Topic 24), Government 360N (Topic: The Two Koreas and the US), History 364G (Topic: The Two Koreas and the US).

AAS 330. Topics in Asian American Anthropology, Geography, and Sociology.

Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Varies with the topic and is given in the Course Schedule.

Topic 2: Racism and Antiracism. Same as African and African Diaspora Studies 324E. Examines the theories and definitions of racism across several fields: anthropology, sociology, psychology, cultural studies, postcolonial studies, and gender/sexuality studies. Also includes a section that focuses on anti-racist activism, particularly within people of color and immigrant communities. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: African and African Diaspora Studies 324E, 374D (Topic: Racism and Antiracism), 374D (Topic 10), Anthropology 324L (Topic: Racism and Antiracism), Asian American Studies 330 (Topic: Racism and Antiracism), 330 (Topic 2). Additional prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Topic 4: The Sociology of Race and Work. Same as Sociology 321R and Women's and Gender Studies 322 (Topic 6). Critical examination of work in the United States over the twentieth and twenty-first centuries through a gendered, Asian American lens, using a comparative race perspective. Subjects include the sociological examination of concepts such as labor markets, globalization, care work, and gender/racial segregation in the workplace along with the ways race and gender shape how and where individuals are fitted into the workplace, how skills are evaluated, and how labor markets emerge. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 330 (Topic: Sociology of Race and Work), 330 (Topic 4), Sociology 321K (Topic: Sociology of Race and Work), 321R, Women's and Gender Studies 322 (Topic: Sociology of Race and Work), 322 (Topic 6). Additional prerequisite: Upper-division standing.
Topic 5: Transnational Korea. Same as Asian Studies 379 (Topic 6). Recent and contemporary manifestations of the Koreas in the world and the world in the Koreas. Subjects include labor and marriage migration, educational sojourning, transnational adoption, tourism, international sport, corporate expatriation, and media flows. Only one of the following may be counted: Anthropology 324L (Topic: Transnational Korea); Asian American Studies 330 (Topic: Transnational Korea), 330 (Topic 5); Asian Studies 379 (Topic: Transnational Korea), 379 (Topic 6).
Topic 6: Urban Unrest. Same as African and African Diaspora Studies 372F (Topic 13), American Studies 321 (Topic 8), Anthropology 324L (Topic 46), and Urban Studies 354 (Topic 14). Analysis of the roots of urban unrest, exploring a range of origins: joblessness, state violence, white flight, backlash against civil rights gains, new immigration, and interracial strife. Beyond race and class, subjects include exploring unrest as a mode of pushing the normative boundaries of gender and sexuality in public space. Course material will draw from film, literature, history, geography, and anthropology. Only one of the following may be counted: African and African Diaspora Studies 372F (Topic: Urban Unrest), 372F (Topic 13), 374D (Topic: Urban Unrest), American Studies 321 (Topic: Urban Unrest), 321 (Topic 8), Anthropology 324L (Topic: Urban Unrest), 324L (Topic 46), Asian American Studies 330 (Topic: Urban Unrest), 330 (Topic 6), Urban Studies 354 (Topic: Urban Unrest), 354 (Topic 14).

AAS 335. Topics in Asian American Studies.

Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Some topics partially fulfill legislative requirement for American history; these are identified in the Course Schedule. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Varies with the topic.

Topic 1: Bridging Community Through Service Learning. Explores culture in community life and how it affects the collaboration of service providing entities. Through service learning, students will take what they learn in the classroom and apply those theories and techniques within the community. Special emphasis will be given to the understanding of the Asian/Asian American community and multiculturalism in community services. Only one of the following may be counted: Asian American Studies 335 (Topic: Bridging Community Thru Service-Learning), 335 (Topic 1), Social Work 360K (Topic: Bridging Community Through Service Learning). Additional prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

AAS 358Q. Supervised Research.

For Asian American studies majors only. Supervised, student-derived research in Asian American studies. Individual instruction. May be repeated for credit when the research projects vary. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing, Rhetoric and Writing 306, and consent of the director of the Center for Asian American Studies.

AAS 378. Community Internship.

Supervised internship in a community, civic, or government organization or program that facilitates the economic, political, and social development of the Asian American community. The equivalent of three lecture hours a week for one semester, with additional field hours to be arranged. May be repeated for credit. Offered on the letter-grade basis only. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and consent of the director of the Center for Asian American Studies.

AAS 379. Conference Course in Asian American Studies.

Supervised individual study of selected problems in Asian American studies. Conference course. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing and consent of the director of the Center for Asian American Studies.

AAS 679H. Honors Tutorial Course.

Supervised individual reading for one semester, followed by a semester of research and writing to produce a substantial paper on a specific topic in Asian American studies. Conference course for two semesters. Prerequisite: For 679HA, upper-division standing and admission to the Asian American Studies Honors Program; for 679HB, Asian American Studies 679HA.